Medicine+Health

February 21, 2012

Help is on the way for those who can't get their cancer medications and for those who have been
fearing the fallout of a shortage of methotrexate. We had a story in the paper last week
highlighting the struggles of hospitals trying to maintain their drug supplies, and of the worries
of an Akron-area mom whose 5-year-old has leukemia. This report is from the Associated Press:

Federal regulators said today that they've approved new suppliers for two crucial cancer
drugs, easing critical shortages - at least for the time being - that have patients worried about
missing life-saving treatments.

The Food and Drug Administration said it will temporarily allow importation
of a replacement drug for Doxil, a drug for ovarian and other cancers that hasn't been available
for new patients for months.

The agency also has approved another supplier for a preservative-free version of methotrexate, a
crucial drug for children with a type of leukemia called ALL and for high-dose treatment of bone
cancer.